Photography Magazine

Pentax corporation once more proved itself to be a distinguished photo equipment producer. Pentax has announced about a new DSLR camera Pentax K20D.

The new camera is not just an upgrade of the previous model K10D. K20D has included in itself the newest technologies.
Specially for this camera a 14,6 mega pixel matrix was developed with a size of 23,4×15,5 mm. The main advantage of such matrix is a much better ability to perceive diagonal light rays. It will allow getting better results when shooting with a wide-angle lens and also when using film camera lens that are so popular about Pentax.

New camera is equipped with a Pentax SR (Shake Reduction) system that in many cases will spare photographer from using a tripod or flash. The most valuable thing is that the built-in stabilization system works with all types of Pentax lenses and with all types of threaded lenses attached through lens adapter.

The absolute novelty of Pentax is the Dynamic Range Enlargement technology is used in K20D. It optimizes the dynamical range that allows achieving details clearness in light and shady areas of the picture. The brightness range has grown one EV-level up in the new camera. This will sometimes free a photographer from making doubles in the search of best exposure compromise.

Most photographers really appreciate a possibility of shooting without paying too much attention to the camera. They would be excited to know that Pentax equipped K20D with a LCD screen with the Live View feature. Now you can frame the picture using not only pentaprism viewfinder.

All these features and newest technologies are “packed” into the famous Pentax dust and moisture protected box. Pentax K20D is a camera that will help a photographer to get a high quality picture with a possibility to add some effects in a rather unhurried mode of shooting. Although the speed of Pentax K20D – 3 frames per second – is quite enough for most of professional reporter needs too.

The Year 2007 was very successful for such photo equipment giants as Nikon, Canon and Pentax. Their new digital cameras made many professionals to sell their old distinguished cameras to second-hand market. But not many people noticed new small Olympuses. And really unjustly. Mature professionals remember these compact film SLRs and rate them high for a lens quality, small weight and usability. Today to take their place came a line of DSLRs that will definitely add much fame to this brand. The newest Olympus camera is Olympus E-510. Here is its visit card: sensor format – 17.3X13mm (noticeably smaller than all the 10 Mega pixel rivals, this camera although doesn’t really loose in quality of pictures but allow to lower the lens weight significantly). The Live View mode allows framing a picture using digital screen that is new for the leaders of the market and makes such cameras much more expensive. The stabilization system of Olympus E-510 lets you shoot from hands on exposures that are 3-4 steps more continuous than regular. The ultrasound wave filter that protects your camera from dust is built in. Camera is also equipped with a new graphical processor. Shoot speed – 3 frames per second.  

The camera will really suite both a professional and an amateur photographer. And even more likely an amateur because of its price. Olympus E-510 with two very good lenses will cost you not more than a thousand dollar. 

“And what about the lens?” - you will probably ask. People who once used the lens of the Zuiko trade mark will probably say: perfect lenses! We’ve got a zoom lens 14-42 mm – light, compact, comply with 28-84 mm film one (for a remark – the crop factor of Olympuses equals 2). The second one is a zoom Zuiko 40-150 mm complies with 80-300 mm film zoom lens. For most types of shooting these are more than enough.  Although the Olympus engineers thought different and have developed lenses of the “TOP PRO” class. Its price is not low but the quality is corresponding… On the point of view of the author the Olympus professional zoom lenses gathered in itself the sharpness of Zeiss lenses with the flexibility of the Pentax lenses. Anyway to try once is better than to read 100 times.

The photographers using the digital equipment sometimes get really disappointed when in some very hot moment they get the “Memory Card Full” message on their LCD display.

Such a situation is almost impossible if you become an owner of the new professional digital camera - NIKON D3. For the first time, leaving behind the rivals, Nikon offered to its admirers a new camera (full-format) that is equipped with 2 slots for Compact Flash memory cards. For press photographers and those who take many photos in a very high pace this option is a must.

And now, here is some information about technical parameters of the new camera. D3 is equipped with full format (36 x 23.9 mm) 12.1 mega pixel CMOS matrix. The speed range is from 200 to 6400 ISO. The speed of shooting is also very high – 9 shots per second and camera can even perform faster, shooting 11 shots per second when working in DX (24 x 16 mm) format.

The camera start up time is also very low. It takes D3 only 12/100 of a second. This option is much faster than in its predecessor D2Xs for 8/100 of a second. Also camera is equipped with a HDMI interface, high quality 3-inch LCD monitor that allows using a Live View mode.

NIKON D3 is produced inside of a strong body made from magnesium alloy and has a very good protection from dust and moisture. In other words the camera is a very reliable and fast photo device that is created for a demanding and straight-out professional. With appearing on the market of a full-format DSLR the professionals received an alternative to the full matrix Canon 5D camera. The Nikon D3 is a modern and very fast camera but of course at a higher price. The comfort and speed always cost money, doesn’t it!?

If you are taking photos using Pentax photo equipment then you surely mentioned an important event: the market entrance of the DSLR camera Pentax K10D. The new camera has a new image processing unit, a quality screen, built-in camera stabilization system. The last thing is especially important for those people that have Pentax lenses including the middle format ones. They can be used with the new camera through the original adapter and stabilization system will work in that case properly.

One more advantage of the Pentax K10D – a very serious dust and moisture protection of the camera. And it is a good surprise that this option that is rather expensive in the concurrent cameras didn’t make K10D much more expensive. What is also interesting is an option of turning camera into the mode of RAW format photo. It is performed by simply pushing a button that is very conveniently situated on the camera body. The new camera seems to be able to give back to the producer its previous high reputation on the photo equipment market. The proof for it is the high prizes, that Pentax K10D received. In the nomination “Best SLR of 2007” Pentax K10D got “Oscar” in the photo market of the European press-association version TIPA (Technical Image Press Association). The camera also attracted the publishing house of the American Photo Magazine that called Pentax K10D a best digital SLR camera for experienced amateurs. The experts and employees of the magazine approved the camera to be “Camera of the year” and gave their preference to it against to Nikon D80 and Olympus EVOLT E-510. But not only in Europe and US the K10D had a great success. In its native country, in Japan, it received a Camera Grand Prix prize. This very honorable prize was given to Pentax K10D by 10 best photo journalists of Japan under aegis of the professional magazines club of the country.